“I do.” Connor’s fingers curled into Leyden’s shirt, clutching. “More than I thought possible.”
They lay tangled together in the darkness, Connor’s weight a solid comfort against Leyden’s chest. Through the bond, Leyden felt Connor’s anxiety slowly draining away, replaced by contentment.
Intimacy of the warmest kind. Something deeper than sex – trust, vulnerability, and the simple need to be close.
Connor shifted slightly, pressing even closer. His leg hooked over Leyden’s thigh, anchoring them together as if he was worried Leyden was going to disappear.
Reaching down, Leyden found Connor’s hand, threading their fingers together against his chest.
“Sleep,” Leyden whispered. “I’ve got you.”
Connor’s breath evened out almost immediately. But even in sleep, he didn’t pull away. He just burrowed closer, seeking warmth and safety.
This, right here, is everything,Leyden thought as he drifted off to sleep.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Connor woke alone, Leyden’s side of the bed already cold. He stretched and blinked at the morning light waiting for his brain to come online. Then promptly wished it hadn’t.
Memories of the previous day came crashing through – from fighting the rogues, to visiting so many pack members. But the one thing Connor focused on was how he’d clung – clung like a freaking limpet – to Leyden afterward.I’ve never felt the need to do that before.
Fighting rogues wasn’t a new thing. There were some wolves that just couldn’t or didn’t want to conform to pack policies and so they roamed, stealing resources where they could.
Likewise, visiting pack members – or at least interacting with them. Connor was used to that. When he’d been Davis’s second his pack interactions were more grudging than sociable, but it wasn’t as if Connor was a hermit. Being invited in for meals, drinks, and conversation…that was more than Connor was used to, but he could see why Leyden felt the need to say yes to every invite.
The bedtime clinging was out of character for him. Very out of character.Although, Leyden didn’t seem to mind.
Sitting up, Connor ran his hand through his sleep-mussed hair. His thoughts drifted to how Leyden’s body felt beneath him – solid, warm, and real. The way…
Connor stopped himself. He was getting heated. In retrospect, he’d been thinking about Leyden’s body a lot. Not just noticing it the way he’d started to over past weeks, but activelythinkingabout it. Remembering the glimpses he’d caught when Leyden shifted. The planes of his chest, the definition of his abs, the long muscled legs.
It’s not like I haven’t seen my mate naked before.Connor had learned to ignore nakedness when he shifted for the first time – just like any other shifter. And yes, Leyden was his mate, so it would be normal for him to look, but usually Connor was focused on other things, like not getting killed by a rogue.
But now it seemed his brain was making an issue about how much he wanted to look with more intent.
Grabbing his phone from the nightstand, Connor opened the Ace Shifters United forum. He needed to see – needed some form of reassurance – that his experiences were typical. Scrolling through the posts, he found one that talked about a physical attraction timeline, where forum members were invited to share their own experiences.
Started noticing my mate’s hands first. Then couldn’t stop staring at their shoulders. Took three months before I wanted to see them fully naked, but when it happened, it felt natural.
Someone else had written -Everyone’s different. Some demis never want visual stimulation. Others find it develops gradually. Don’t force it, but don’t ignore genuine curiosity either.
Curiosity.There’s that word again.It seemed Connor wasn’t the only one taking things slow who got curious about different aspects of intimacy over time.
Closing the forum, Connor did what he had to do in the bathroom and then headed for the kitchen, following the scent of coffee and his mate.
Leyden stood at the counter, reading something on his tablet. He looked up when Connor entered, his gray eyes warm. “Morning. There’s fresh coffee.”
“Thanks.” Connor poured himself a cup, hyperaware of Leyden’s presence behind him. The breadth of his shoulders. The way his sleep shirt clung to his chest.
Connor forced himself to focus on the coffee, adding cream with hands that trembled slightly.
“You okay?” Leyden’s voice held genuine concern. “Did you have any nightmares about yesterday?”
“No.” Connor turned, leaning against the counter. “Just thinking.”
“About?”
Heat flooded Connor’s face. “Nothing important.”
